Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-08-26
LAUREL CAMP.
From the Somervilie Journal.


with your and dainty Bess Fleming
perched herself disconsolately ON the
arm of the lounge in what her broth
ers called their "boudoir," and gazed
with big, wistful gray eyes on the ami
mated scene before her.
The festive preparations are indeed
almost enough to make one wish one
had been born boy. Floor, chairs
and table are covered with q choice
but vailed collection OF hunting boots,
fishing tackle, entomologist's para
phernalia OF waxen-headed pins,
chloroforn bottles and butterfly nets,
favorite authors, ham,nocks, and
other evidences of a. fright royal good
time" The masculine occupants Of
the room were an so very deeply en-
crossed that their envious sisters
plaintive wish fell on almost unheed-
ing ears.
Hal nuttered: "Wwish you
could!' Tom gazed at her through
the microscope glass he was polishing,
with an eye enormously enlarged
thereby, and smiled in conscious
masculine superiority and only good
natured steeple paused in his strug-
giles with his knapsack (which SEEM
ingly declined to accommodate his
blanket, a work on Autonomy, gossa.
mer coat. and a dismembered gum
sufficiently long to say with genuine
brotherly good will:
"And you should go in q minute,
Popity-it would be worth ten sea-
sons to you'll it were not for Val
Graham.''
oval Graham! Who is he? Let
him stay at home, then. TO make
coffee in dear little kettle swung on
three sticks, to sleep in a hammock
and be outdoors all SUMMER" cries
Miss Fleming enthusiastically. "Oh, I
will go! What's the matter with Mr..
Graham? Is he one OF your fossilized
professors who would petrify simple
maiden? don't care what he is, you
need not imagine l would find time to
look at him; I unanimously won't
"But, b-b.bless you, my child"
calculated Hal, theoretically, cts
not a. question of whether yon would
mind Val. The boot is on the other
leg. It's Val would mind you.
There's some romantic story about
his being brought up by an uncle who
had been cruelty treated by some love.
ly f1irt. Youthful affections trampled
on, and all that kind of thing. Takes
to the life of hermit and educates
the ingenious Valentine to regard with
horror the whole female sex. Val
would sooner face a 'wenomous wiper,
than a women, and / am confident
that If he suspected we meditated such
treason as the introduction OF the
dreaded element, he would flee to the
uttermost parts OF the earth rather
than go with US; and he the prime
suggester If the camping scheme, too!
Lastly and finally, how could such a
luxurious little lady rough it with a
lot of boys among the jungles of New
York State? It is impossible"
"Oh: you can say impossible; but I
could 60, and you would take me, ii
it were not for that odious crea ture!
How l hate him!' cried Bess, storm
lily.
IA letter for you. Mr.. Stephen y
and the dignified butler steps solemn
ly over the debris, and looks with
stern disapproval at the disordered
room. 49,
"From Val himself, is it not,
Steenie?" asked Tom.
Eyes. Too bad, he can't go, after
all-attack of malarial fever-knows
you will have a jolly time. Almost
desperate when / think of your start
ing without me-" reads Steenie. dis.
jointedIy.
Now, I am going" and Bess starts
up impetuously. .r -:
you'll see. I'll take Martha to
take care of me. I'll be ready in an
hour, Martha and her budgets includ-
3D." and Bess vanished like a small
whirlwiud. leaving the trio too much
astonished to do aught but stare at
each other in silence. ~ 49,
Did she accomplish it? OF course;
what other result was possible to SO
much energy and spirit? BY the time
the others had finished their remark
able masculine packing, Bess bubbllng
over with merry anticipations, was
soothing the dazed Martha, who was
vibrating between q feeling of ypsyish
delight at what seemed to her mad
escapade and gloomy presentiments
of inevitable rheumatism.
*="#* II 4
The scene shifts to the wilds of the
Empire State and q camp established
in their depths. This is no mere
fashionable tabernacle in the wilder.
ness, but real camp, with amateur
cooks, with spicy hemlock bed, and
with a smoke blackened kettle hang
ing over q swapping FIRE, the smoke oil
which acnrls Iazily upwards, making
misty the; delicate tracery Of the WAY
ing trees against the soft summer sky.
and hammocks swinging like huge co
coons between the trees, inviting to
drowsy repose. SIS.
IA few yards away. an unseen noun.
tain brook tumbles its ice-coId water
into the rocky river, and the two sim,
together ii low monotone, telling o.
fern iringed pools and gliding trout.
Through archways cut IN the glossy
laurel thicket can be seen the paths
that the feet Of the strying campers
have already worn to tine woodland
!. haunts beyond. B.
Z But the glory Of the camp is the
structure variously known as the
sshouse z sshantys'' Or 4 q Laurel Lodge
Built against 8 little knoll, it's sup
lports living. trees. its roof Of slabs